Maurice Bryce

With a victory over Tommy Paul, nine-time champion Novak Djokovic advanced to the Australian Open championship match against Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Djokovic overcame a shaky start to defeat the American by scores of 7-5, 6-1, and 6-2.

After defeating Russian Karen Khachanov, 24-year-old Tsitsipas now has a second chance to win his first Grand Slam championship.

Khachanov was defeated 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 by third-seeded Greek Tsitsipas.

Australian Open championship

After overcoming the 18th seed Khachanov and saving two match points in the third set tie-break, Tsitsipas secured his spot in Sunday’s championship match.

In what turned out to be the decisive game, another tight forehand cost Tsitsipas a third opportunity before Khachanov batted long on a first serve, giving him a chance to convert his fourth.

At the Australian Open championship, Tsitsipas, who lost to Djokovic in the 2021 French Open final, has the chance to exact revenge.

He must, however, become the first player to defeat Djokovic at Melbourne Park since 2018 if he wants to win the trophy.

Rafael Nadal currently holds the record with 22 major men’s titles, but Novak Djokovic, who defeated Paul to set a new record of 27 straight victories in the men’s singles here, is aiming for a record-extending 10th victory.

The victor will also take over as the world’s top ranking.

Djokovic had breezed through the earlier rounds without any major problems, and after a few days in which his father Srdjan made headlines for posing with Vladimir Putin supporters,

In an effort to lessen the effects of a hamstring injury that has bothered him throughout the tournament, the Serb is drawn to the idea of spending as little time on the court as possible.

Novak Djokovic advances to Face Stefanos

In his first appearance in a major semi-final, Paul appeared to be headed for an even quicker defeat after he destroyed Australian hopeful Alex de Minaur and Russian fifth seed Andrey Rublev.

Djokovic had a 5-1 lead in the first set, but it took him an additional 30 minutes to secure the lead.

Serving for the set, Djokovic allowed a dispute with umpire Damien Dumusois over the Frenchman starting the 25-second shot clock while he was still using his towel to stall his progress.

A shift in momentum was evident in the exchange. Paul rallied to tie the score at 5-5 while Djokovic only won three of the subsequent 16 points.

At the crunch time in the set, the former world number one, however, regained his composure and broke again.

After cheering the crowd and regaining his steely focus, Djokovic broke twice in each of the final two sets to win the match after two hours and twenty minutes.

Also read: Andy Murray Eliminated From Australian Open

Tsitsipas has long seemed destined for success at the Australian Open because it is a tournament with a hard court surface on which he excels and because it is held in a city where a sizable Greek population enthusiastically supports him.

The towering youngster made his presence known by defeating the reigning champion Roger Federer in the fourth round of the 2019 tournament. However, a captivating run came to an end when he was routed by Rafael Nadal in his first semi-final appearance, ending his impressive run.

Both in 2021 and 2022, longtime rival Daniil Medvedev dashed his hopes at the last-four stage, but this time it was another Russian – the formidable Khachanov – who stood in his way.

Tsitsipas began confidently against a player he had defeated in all five of their prior meetings, backed by a boisterous crowd that waved Greek flags after nearly all of his winning points.

Khachanov struggled to keep up with Tsitsipas’ pounding groundstrokes and explosive athleticism as the world number four went up two sets.

Few spectators on Rod Laver Arena expected anything other than a straight-set victory when Tsitsipas broke early in the third set and moved into a 5-4 lead, leaving him serving for the match.

However, Tsitsipas’ nerves took over and he started to look unsure with his groundstrokes. Khachanov then broke loose to extend the match.

After using the restroom before the fourth set, Tsitsipas returned unburdened by expectation and broke Khachanov’s serve right away.

As he finally reached the final of what he refers to as his “home” Grand Slam event, dominant service games from that point on ensured that the previous set would not be repeated.